At least in Australia - they are still impossible to get. Would totally suck if you just wanted one for your PS5 slim digital.... but that's Sony for ya.
Sorry - the solution to flagging interest in console gaming is to sell consoles with no drive for more money... and nostalgia? Well, I suppose it is a strategy...
Seriously - when I saw that the bundle didn't include a drive, I gave up trying to work out what Sony felt about it's legacy... and the disrespect for its fan-base.
One last comment - let's review some of the panellists in Geoff's C-J show (and I am cherry-picking those that don't make sense to me personally amongst the actual gaming-centric sites that are included):
US
Entertainment Weekly
LA Times
New York Times
Pride (yes... it's what you think)
The Atlantic
NPR
Rolling Stone
Touch Arcade (a mobile games site... which is fair enough... except it's shutting down)
Jeff Gerstmann... yes... literally a one person podcast
Variety
UK
Discussing Film
The Mirror
The Guardian
Canada
CBC
Mobile Syrup (a tech review company that possibly leans towards mobile and PC?...)
Chile
FayerWayer (a generic tech zine)
Colombia
Volk (a youtube channel - no offence to YT channels)... at least it's a gaming channel.
Yes - these are only about 10-15% of the "international panellists"....but that's a pretty big chunk given who else is represnting gaming....
Indonesia.... fours sites... compared to three for China, Canada, Australia and Malaysia ... and the entirety of the Middle East, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand... Japan gets a wopping 5 spots (not sure if that's being preferential or not,... considering...Spain gets 6 spots...Brazil gets 8 spots). They even give a spot to Benelux... an economic region covering parts of Belgium / Netherlands / Luxenbourg... even though Belgium is otherwise represented... weirdly the Netherlands aren't at all). There are other countries represented in some form... but who selected these panellists and why?
What do each of these spots actually mean?
By contrast... 24 "panellists" spots from the US... and 17 "accessibility" panellists (this isn't a go at accessibility which is important, but more how does this fit in with general voting... or are they only voting on the accessibility category... which would be super patronising).
Are these each worth 1 vote... or can each have multiple votes? Is this literally 130-ish people that Geoff knows and 'trusts' to be good sorts. If it's more than 130-ish people ... how many? The website suggests each outlet get's one collective vote. How is each outlet's vote counted? Majority/representational? Who selects who can vote from each organisation? These are a fairly significant component of the "international" representation that defines not only who should be nominated... but who should be voted for. FFS... does anyone think this isn't a c**cle j**k?
Edit: by the way... all the non-gaming media outlets incuded are all lightly to heavily left-leaning. Even as someone that supports left-leaning politics, this seems to reflect more Geoff's views than anything that should be the basis of an awards show jury.
Oh.. in case it wasn't implict.... PushSquare is NOT on that list of 'gaming representatives'.
@Medic_alert I hear you... and as I said... the problem with "TGA" is that there is zero transparency other than it's Geoff's show as to why or how things work. He can put up "panellist" icons...some of which literally don't exist any more (or are about to cease to exist)... but this doesn't actually mean anything. It's also a bit of a c*rcle j**k in terms of who he annoints to represent the industry.
I think Geoff think's that being a bombastic character means that he can represent the gaming community. I think with every year, it's clear he represents only himself and the revenue that he pulls in from advertisers. He may genuinely think he's doing the right thing... but he continually doesn't, in case it affects his bottom line. And I suspect the Elden Ring DLC was as much about stirring up "conversation" as it was a real thing. Because the thing Geoff hates most of all is not being talked about. Especially when there is no "Elden Ring" mega event... he's re-creating it (whether it was voted for his buddies or not).
And that's the last I will talk about him or his 'show'. I had dropped a comment that if they did this, I would boycott the show. I'll actually go one better... I will boycott even the reactions to the show. To quote Tarantino "f'**ing with your cash is the only thing you kid's seem to understand"... I would suggest others that want to voice their frustration avoid venting on comments, and vote with your (not going to) clicks. If he really cared about TGA... he wouldn't be seen near it... let alone insist on hosting it.
Edit - and yes... I DO appreciate that me boycotting the show won't make a lick of difference. It will to me however.
@Medic_alert I think that people are missing the point... the games are selected by the "panel" ... not Geoff. The "panel" is made up of game journalists (and friends). It would appear that they voted pretty strongly for ER-DLC to be included... because they have little to no understanding of what gamers want represented, and it would seem don't care. Elden Ring is amazing, Shadow of the Erd Tree is more of the same amazing. Becuase it's more of the same game.
The "panel" (and the Game Awards) do NOT represent you (or me)... at best there's a 10% influence - which I suspect is much less. This is about a very small group of people telling everyone else, what a game really is. The outlets are shown on their website - but they don't say how many votes they each get... because this isn't a real awards show. This is the Geoff and Friends show.
@Digit2021 It is crazy after so many years (and the fact that Sony actually set up local technical cells to solve our digital delivery capability) that we're still back in the 2000's in terms of internet infrastructure in Australia.
Weird... any way, I was always confused why streaming wasn't out of the box on day one.. and not even discussed. Clearly they thought it was a huge gamble. I don't think it's going to be a game-changer, and I don't think it's a new sony portable (it's a big telephone screen with built-in controller), but i can see it finding a home with some.
Turns out Kadokawa actually has had a big hit due to a cyber-attack (ransomware+data leakage) this last year that has had a significant effect on business. Also, despite ER DLC, their gaming division has actually had much smaller sales than expected. Bottom line, despite everyone loving From Soft... the parent company may be looking a little weaker than expected. There's an interesting financial reporting here. The quote they use in their corporate reporting is "We are developing a structure to expand the scope of in-house publishing for console and PC games"... doesn't scream selling the business to me... but could be a bigger investment from Tencent (16% ownership) or Sony (14% ownership)... or Microsoft????
This has a feeling of being mis-reporting, or wishful thinking (or some mischevious rumouring).
@awp69 I think this is a reflection that the Switch is about to quickly become the Swatched... and to be honest, I think they've done better than many would have suspected in the dying days of the console.
So... I think we should all draw breath... and chill... because these sorts of rumours often circulate for a few days, then disappear. Even if they are in discussions, that doesn't mean it's both parties are wanting to do this. It also doesn't mean that other parties are aren't also in discussions.
Edit - I'd also be a little surprised... just that they've addressed this previously by saying they had no interest in acquisition, and after ER, I would think they could do whatever they wanted (From Soft that is... but of course the parent company, Kadokawa, is a different story altogether).
I can see it making sense for Sony... on many different counts. All I can say however... if this didn't produce a Bloodborne 2, I think the world truly is a cruel simulation.
Edit - and yes, it's good that Sony were able to get game nominated for 10 years... so well done.
Ok... not trying to be the downer... but I think most people would not consider HZD or Ratchet and Clank (and in my opinion GOWR or SM2) be considered as GoTY in their respective years. I love Sony games, but I think we also need to be realistic... some those games are not that innovative, well-written, that polished, or that original... compared to the actual winners. HZD might be all of those things... but it was also pretty repetitive if I'm being honest. They're all decent to good games (and genuinely technically masterful) - but I think it says more about Sony's ability to shape narrative than it does about their games. And this is coming from a Sony fan.
@wildcat_kickz there's an argument (and a good one) that DLC is too hit-and-miss each year to have it's own category. And that's an argument against... however, I'd also say that this applies equally to sports and fighting games... but they still have categories.
I think unfortunately that people equate good gaming experience to good games. This is like saying why not have old games competing against new games... because if it's only about fun-gaming-experience then surely it shouldn't matter if it's made 6 months, 2 years ago or 10 years ago. So I think it makes no sense to include DLC. Yes it's new content... to an existing (2 year old) game.
@get2sammyb it literally is a gated expansion - not only do you need to have bought Elden Ring - but you have to have progressed a long way into it before you can even access it. It's not a game... it's an expansion. And the fact that it was nominated clearly indicates that gaming outlets are so clearly disconnected with gamers... who want NEW games. And want to celebrate the best of those new games. ER is one of the best games ever made - but it also won GoTY.... I don't see how gaming sites don't realise this.
@Medic_alert I think that's the point... people generally play console to avoid many of these issues. And yes, if you want a niche console, expect there to be teething issues (especially when there is likely not a lot of additional sales for the game devs/publishers).
Two systems isn't a huge extra complication, and I'm sure many of these issues will get resolved. It will be interesting to see how quickly these issues bed down, and to understand why some devs are finding PSSR more challenging...
@Northern_munkey we also didn't have the scalper culture for the PS4 Pro like we do today... I think everyone needs to take a chill pill before they start popping the self-congratulatory champagne, or the "I-told-you-soda-with-no-extra-sugar" comments. The market it definitely getting more complex... and I think part of the lack of transparency now from Sony, we may not know for years what actually happened. Edit: I - for one - have no idea what's actually happening in the market these days... and most of it doesn't really make a lot of commercial sense... most of it feels like ***** in the bed and thinking it's a hot-water-bottle (in terms of the long term sustainability of consoles). Edit^2: Thank you auto-filtering for saving me the effort of self-censoring my colourful analogy...
@Loamy @DonJorginho ok ... you can do better than a .. 'well, you shouldn't complain about a USD700 (AUD1200) because it's not like anyone's putting a gun to your head, or putting you in lifetime indentured slavery / or the 'if you want to be a luddite and ignore the POWER of the Pro'... ' comment. I appreciate the 'sarcasm' but at the same time... this is also a sort of pre-emptive 'no one is forcing you to buy it' comment that suggests it's wrong to question the numbers, or the value.
Two things can be true at the same time. You can legitimately enjoy your PS5 Pro (and no one should take that away from you); but also, others may view it as not being worth it, or best thing for the industry (due to the fact that it's setting up a weird dynamic in the discussion). I think robust discussion is always good... and yes, no one should get too over-worked from comments online.
I'd just suggest sounding like you're doing a "PS5 Pro master-race vibe"... may not be helping a lot. I mean... I'm sure there must be sites that cater for the better class PS5 users... (and THAT is sarcasm... ).
A game is NOT a DLC... a DLC is a paid extension of a game. It CAN be amazing... but when it comes from an AMAZING game... that could also mean it was jus carved off, and adds little to the main game. There's been plenty of great DLC... it deserves it's own category. It is insulting to everyone to allow DLC to win GOTY. I will categorically promise to boycott Geoff Forever if they do this.
BLUF - I have decided to forego the Extra subscription, and drop down to Essential... because I literally don't think it's worth it as a gamer. The lack of any seemingly 'reduced price' at the end of the year has cemented that it's now just an illusion of value (for me).
So ... sigh... I often feel frustrated being 'that' person... but can we talk about PS+ prices. If you're on Essential for the last 1-2 years, there's been little extra value (despite the huge increases in costs/exclusion of sale prices). So what are we actually paying for? I know that the idea of getting a sale on PS+ 12 month subscriptions is apparently 'old fashioned''... but for the life of me I don't understand why. I had PS+ because of multiplayer/saves... begrudgingly... but this current situation seems a lot more 'FOMO' to me... because their offering "free games" with a subscription boost. Who can resist... free games?
I've been looking through my catalogue... trying to ascertain which ones were actually monthly games and which were Extra subscription-based. Looking through the games I played, there were very few that I played through on Extra. Whereas the ones I bought or were monthly (ie semi-permanent) I did play. I found that surprisingly the games I played most, were NOT the Extra subscription games...
So this (pre) Black Friday, I've decided to actually drop my Extra subscription. I've often had a go at GP, but did 2 years of Extra to see what it actually was like. Reviewing it... I am now 100% sure that for me (not you) it's not worth it, and I think it's adversely affected my gaming experience.
I also found that I played less games through to completion (based on my 'purchase' which means ticking a download button on a 500+ game catalogue that doesn't cost anything.
I reflected on this for the last few months, I do NOT get value out of this subscription (for me). I like being able to sample games 'at no extra cost', but I find myself less inclined to really jump in. I admit - this is a 'me' problem; but I suspect it's not unusual. It's hard to argue with the simplicity of things like "the best value in gaming"... and on paper things like GP and PS+ Extra/Deluxe/Premium seem great value.
My point (circling around)... for most people (especially at my age) I don't have infinite time... and the mirage of doing a taste-test, when deleting a game is easier than doing it justice (because there's so many possible games to try)... it just doesn't make sense to me. I used to play games that I bought or 'earned?' monthly off PS+. Now I have very little interest in spending more than the bare minimum time before the "tried and died" attention-span (maybe 1-2 hours at MOST / and also because I run 2 TB PS5 / 2 TB other... I just run out of space before I HAVE to delete games).
@Loamy so I'm curious... what metric do you use for the step up between PS4->PS4 Pro. I'm still standing on the sidelines, not sure how you can compare 1080p > 4K (albeit checkerboard); HDR; an over 2.2x increase in GPU grunt (vs a 1.6x)... a 1.3x CPU increase (over a 1.1 increase)? For exactly the same cost as the og PS4 - vs a 1.33x increase in cost to consumer. I understand that PSSR takes some load off the GPU (but it also adds a processing cost of its own). Edit... I also very much appreciate that rendering doesn't just depend on raw horse-power... but I also think people view differences with a huge amount of bias. It's very hard to be objective - especially when it's your money.
The problem I have - sitting on the fence - is that whilst I think the PS5 Pro is clearly better than the PS5; I don't get any sense that there's actually an objectively same "game change"... whereas there was going to 4K.
Edit - and yes, if you have the disposable income, the interest, and you don't really care what message you're sending to Sony, then that's ok. I am sure that all Pro players will feel they got their value out of it. I am sure I would if I put down about AUD 1400 on a console + drive + stand. For reference, the std PS5 was AUD800... and is now often on sale much lower.
@xHHHx firstly... why do you feel it's so important about what this guy does? Secondly... do you think perhaps that Sony might know about auto-pop trophies... and lastly... who the <insert expletive> cares? As I understand it, he hasn't been suspended now... but he's lost his access to free codes. Why is he getting free codes? Maybe there's a very good reason... but as I don't know him from a loaf of bread, I actually give zero "cares" to this story.
@Northern_munkey I'm currently trying to catalogue games I have in library by owned/PS+ essential/others... it's a pain in the <insert orifice of choice here>. In this day and age, I can only imagine this is because their online UX is about the last thing they give a crap about... that's the only explanation as to how little they do to improve their experience. Edit - it's almost as if they don't want you to know what you've got. For instance...why when I look at PSN it tells me that I can buy a game, regardless if I have the physical copy logged on the system (der... I know the answer to that one.... but a good UX would be up-front... even if it still gives you the choice to buy digitally)
Case in point... after 4 years, why are we still not getting QoL changes that were standard on the PS4... because they're intentionally holding them back to make it seem like "oh... things are improving"...
It's Friday... it's been a long week, and perhaps I'm a little saltier than even I am normally.
@Medic_alert I think this is an example of not having a strategy... there are a lot of things about this game that don't make sense. Including it's existence...
@MeanBeanEgg yes... it's sold on Steam... but it's not a MP game (which needs numbers)... but... we can also be real. An all time concurrent player number (at release) of 602 for even a SP game is pretty woeful. I'm not surprised... family gamers don't normally choose PC to play... but I would wonder, why release it on PC at all?
@Northern_munkey by straight away, I hope you mean about 12-24 months ago (well... actually, from the start of the generation if I'm being honest). Edit - and yes, Cyberpunk is the one that really annoyed the hell out of me. Every single time....
@LikelySatan or a 4th... or 5th... Professional-grade gives you ALL the options. It seriously was delusional to think that giving developers the choice, would lead to the "there's no need for choice any more" option.
Can we just acknowledge that the PlayStation store front has possibly the most amateur filtering/sorting options available in any modern storefront (edit - I meant to write commercial software... because there really are some god-awful storefronts out there....how do you spell Ninten-don't?). As it is with the search/sorting/filtering on the console - why is it I can't filter out games that I have as part of PS+ monthly games - which are mine while I have membership - and those that are part of the PS+ Extra?. Also why (if I download a digital version from PS+), do I not see that I actually own the physical version as well?
And why... if I have the physical PS4 version of a game... that has an upgrade to PS5... it seems somehow to want to keep downloading the PS4 version?
Sigh... this is where we're at... and that's before you even throw in the PS5 Pro. Sony just suck at user interfaces IMO.
@mrmartinrohr (edit)Were there any frame-rate issues with the game? You were asking for 120Hz/VRR support... To me, this is akin to asking for devs to make an 8k version? All these things are possible... but not all possible things are meaningful or worthwhile. If there's frame-rate hitches... surely they should be overcome by the raw-horsepower? I'm confused.
@Flaming_Kaiser huh... maybe you mis-edited somewhere... it's Friday afternoon here (so it could be me), but I don't understand what you wrote.
The Lego game isn't a first party game... it's third party studio licencing Sony IP (edit - ok... you can argue it's second party because technically it's published by Sony). But my point stands... not every game needs a PS5 Pro version.
@riceNpea hmmm... I think I disagree. PS (like any gaming outlet these days) is driven by commercial interests... if you cannot make money, site closes. The making money part is driven to a large extent by ad revenue... which is driven by consumers (the people reading the site). So at the end of the day, websites like PushSquare are likely most responsive to clicks.
As for professionalism... I actually don't know... are any of the PushSquare team professional journalists? Maybe... I actually don't know. If not, I think it's fair that we don't treat them by that standard. Hence my original complaint... someone needs to actually engage in serious journalism. That's not Jason Schrier, who is now part of the commeteriat ...
@riceNpea so... the answer is? I think there's too much...<shrugs> ... what can we do. I think we can expect better, both of our own discourse, but also the people creating content. There's so much divisiness out there now - and to be honest, a lot of that is from just poor journalism, mis-information, ill-informed opinion, or blatant agena pushing (on any side of the arguments... as lame as they all are).
So regarding the horrible state of lay-offs (and the overall state of the industry), all I hear is that it's a result of greedy companies over-staffing up during the pandemic... and now having to shed numbers as sales normalised. This doesn't necessarily equate to the other reality... the sky-rocketting costs. Those costs come from some where, and I don't think it's necessarily all visible on screen.
Still - I suspect this is airing dirty laundry, and won't do anyone's 'corporate' image any good to write about.
@Northern_munkey - maybe not, but there's a crap-tonne of people that now expect 'PS5 Pro goodness' in every game. (regardless of the game).. and to be fair, that's what was sold to them. I just think it's one of those things that tends to warp conversations/expectations.
@Rich33 by the cost of games - I mean the cost of development. The reality is that the big tentpole games aren't that enticing for Sony (especially) because they can't sell enough to make a healthy enough profit over their first party portfolio. Not compared to just raking in the 30% on-the-top markup for MTX they get.
I know a lot of people have said this - but games are just too expensive to make these days, which is why they're getting bloated, and at the same time dumbed down for maximum sales.
Edit - and yes - the flip-side of that coin is that people don't think they should pay for games... because of GP and PS+ Extra/Premium we now have been tought that games are metered out for no extra cost.... I mean, how can that possibly devalue games (he says, sarcastically).
So... I'm going to say something that may rile people up... however... hear me out. I know that many people feel that the gaming industry is just being abused through constant closures. However... and I really implore someone do so some actual journalism somewhere... what is actually going on in the gaming industry?
So my impression (and it's likely completely wrong) is that during the pandemic, a lot of people were able to negotiate really good conditions (pay and remote working).... because a lot of companies thought this was the gravy train.
Turns out...pandemics come ang go... so what I'm really curious to know (even if it dispells my bias) - what is actually driving up the cost of game development now? Because... I'm not sure it's not staff costs/productivity. I know in Australia (maybe not the best example) in my line of work... I've seen an almost stagnant remuneration over perhaps 10 years. And it may be the case that in the games industry there's a correction, but it's also possible that there was an over-correction. I think we all need to have an adult conversation about it, rather than just gnashing our teeth (even though I just had a go at Micro$oft). And that adult conversation should be based on facts... not just headlines, and the feeling that we can support the under-dog developers (meanwhile, the cost of games is going through the literal stratosphere).
@LavenderShroud what don't you understand that Microsoft is the biggest third-party publisher of PlayStation games (or that close to it).
As for Microsoft.... yep... they respect their right to an opinion, as they respect their own right to do a giant windows-shaped <insert own imagination here> on that opinion. What didn't they understand about working for one of the most powerful corporations in America?
@Kienda just a PSA... RDR2 is a BIG game. It's also a slow starter. You can easily go 8-10 hours without getting into the swing of the game. Also - and I might be an outlier - it's a game that has a slighly over-rated main story; but it has a truly AAAA open world to frame it. One of my favourite games, even if it's on rails (for the main story).
@playstation1995 ... said Mr Sony PlayStation. I'm sure Totoki-san will send you a Christmas card. .... after you've subscribed to Extra, and then purchased all those games that are departing.
To be honest however... it's a subscription service... it's not a library. People just need to understand, you're not buying the games, you're renting them at the platform holder's discretion. So... my Extra subscription is coming up for renewal at the start of Jan, and at the moment, I have ZERO intention to renew. My backlog is big enough, and my guilt strong enough... I think I actually want to return to the days when you actually bought games. I did... and still do... have a crap tonne sitting in there because there's only so much time.
@nessisonett Varl had 8000 pubes?... man... he knew how to groom... I kninda always suspected, given his pristine beard... (and yes, that's a - questionable - joke)
@Northern_munkey so there's a fallacy that putting a sticker on something makes it meaningfully better. For example boosting a point and click game from 30 or 60 up to 120 FPS would qualify for a PS5Pro Enhanced sticker. The question is - does it matter? I think we're still too early on in this mid-gen refresh to have mature conversations, because a lot of people invested a lot of money, and they expect return (because Sony implied it was coming).
It's like saying Balatro should have a PS5 Pro enhanced version because Sony mandated... I'm sure they could make it, but it's not what's going to make it a more fun experience. I suspect a PS5 Pro patch/enhancement to this game won't change it's fundamental 'satisfaction'.
@Flaming_Kaiser you know... not every game needs, or should require, PS5 Pro updates. Because, firstly the game is designed to run on a much lower system; secondly, it's not meant to be a power-house demo of power... it's just not. And finally... what would make you feel that this is finally the game it was always meant to be?
My point - we have to stop "consoling ourselves" that a meaningful PS5 Pro Patch is coming... maybe it is... but isn't it better to just say, it's a game that has a limited scope, and likely plays just as well on base PS5. I haven't heard too much (if anything) on the PS5 technical limitations. If there are some, I'm sure someone will comment.
So at some point, even Phil must get tired of listening to the constant double-speak coming out his mouth... it's fine... but can we all agree that XBox is no longer XBox, but just Game Pass?
Having lived through a lot of gaming hype... the constant edging towards a non-XBox reality is getting painful. Then again, we can hope for a happier future. I just don't think it's going to make Sony more consumer friendly for us.
I wouldn't mind to play Forza Horizon, and almost certainly Fable... strange coincidence? And I think Flight Simulator would be fun (on PS+.... it's a chill experience - at least it was on PC - but I don't know I'd get more than casual play out of it). Of course og Halo.
To be fair "Each one is a fairly breezy jaunt through a picturesque environment, interspersed with combat arenas and the occasional boss battle" pretty well sums up the Horizon games. I'm a big fan of the first - and while I can see the on-paper attraction... I actually think this is one of the LEGO games aimed more at adults than kids (as I don't think HZD is that attractive to teens... certainly not in my experience).
@themightyant my youngest is definitely moving on from the Switch/Laptop/tablet gaming... but I think the interest in PS is likely just game-by-game. My eldest used to play Fortnite heavily - but after he got himself a job, and bought his own rig (a decent 4070) he has moved more to co-op shooters. Last game he played on console was Elden Ring a few months ago (some of our best father-son moments), but he just doesn't have the time to spare for long SP games anymore. So he jumps on his own PC when he can (as a high school student).
Edit - as an aside...I find that he's becoming quite nostalgic towards Fortnite - of all things.
I kinda think that's the reality that Sony is facing... time-poor, or option-rich players... who don't need a console. The life-style association with gaming is "limited time"... and social. My youngest is an odd-one-out, as I suspect console gaming is still a "transitional" gaming environment between switch and whatever is next.
@themightyant this is lifestyle marketing.... it's not about the product, it's entirely about brand association as you said (Sony = carefree fun). Perhaps it's my experience with my kids, but I think that console makers have a hard time these days, because I think that we're at that stage where younger audiences want "bring anywhere, play anytime" or "bring me ALL the RTX... in ultrawide".
Perhaps a better question is - what games are actually that appealing to the 18-25 demographic? I dunno these days. I have to admit... I was surprised my 12yo has flipped dramatically from BTOW-TOTK to RDR2... not one I saw coming.
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Re: PS5 30th Anniversary Bundle Will Be Back in Stock in the US Later Today
@SoulChimera and yet somehow... no drive.
At least in Australia - they are still impossible to get. Would totally suck if you just wanted one for your PS5 slim digital.... but that's Sony for ya.
Re: PS5 30th Anniversary Bundle Will Be Back in Stock in the US Later Today
Sorry - the solution to flagging interest in console gaming is to sell consoles with no drive for more money... and nostalgia? Well, I suppose it is a strategy...
Seriously - when I saw that the bundle didn't include a drive, I gave up trying to work out what Sony felt about it's legacy... and the disrespect for its fan-base.
Re: Vast Majority of Gamers Say Elden Ring DLC Should Never Have Been Nominated for Game of the Year
One last comment - let's review some of the panellists in Geoff's C-J show (and I am cherry-picking those that don't make sense to me personally amongst the actual gaming-centric sites that are included):
US
Entertainment Weekly
LA Times
New York Times
Pride (yes... it's what you think)
The Atlantic
NPR
Rolling Stone
Touch Arcade (a mobile games site... which is fair enough... except it's shutting down)
Jeff Gerstmann... yes... literally a one person podcast
Variety
UK
Discussing Film
The Mirror
The Guardian
Canada
CBC
Mobile Syrup (a tech review company that possibly leans towards mobile and PC?...)
Chile
FayerWayer (a generic tech zine)
Colombia
Volk (a youtube channel - no offence to YT channels)... at least it's a gaming channel.
Yes - these are only about 10-15% of the "international panellists"....but that's a pretty big chunk given who else is represnting gaming....
Indonesia.... fours sites... compared to three for China, Canada, Australia and Malaysia ... and the entirety of the Middle East, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand... Japan gets a wopping 5 spots (not sure if that's being preferential or not,... considering...Spain gets 6 spots...Brazil gets 8 spots). They even give a spot to Benelux... an economic region covering parts of Belgium / Netherlands / Luxenbourg... even though Belgium is otherwise represented... weirdly the Netherlands aren't at all). There are other countries represented in some form... but who selected these panellists and why?
What do each of these spots actually mean?
By contrast... 24 "panellists" spots from the US... and 17 "accessibility" panellists (this isn't a go at accessibility which is important, but more how does this fit in with general voting... or are they only voting on the accessibility category... which would be super patronising).
Are these each worth 1 vote... or can each have multiple votes? Is this literally 130-ish people that Geoff knows and 'trusts' to be good sorts. If it's more than 130-ish people ... how many? The website suggests each outlet get's one collective vote. How is each outlet's vote counted? Majority/representational? Who selects who can vote from each organisation? These are a fairly significant component of the "international" representation that defines not only who should be nominated... but who should be voted for. FFS... does anyone think this isn't a c**cle j**k?
Edit: by the way... all the non-gaming media outlets incuded are all lightly to heavily left-leaning. Even as someone that supports left-leaning politics, this seems to reflect more Geoff's views than anything that should be the basis of an awards show jury.
Oh.. in case it wasn't implict.... PushSquare is NOT on that list of 'gaming representatives'.
Re: Vast Majority of Gamers Say Elden Ring DLC Should Never Have Been Nominated for Game of the Year
@Medic_alert I hear you... and as I said... the problem with "TGA" is that there is zero transparency other than it's Geoff's show as to why or how things work. He can put up "panellist" icons...some of which literally don't exist any more (or are about to cease to exist)... but this doesn't actually mean anything. It's also a bit of a c*rcle j**k in terms of who he annoints to represent the industry.
I think Geoff think's that being a bombastic character means that he can represent the gaming community. I think with every year, it's clear he represents only himself and the revenue that he pulls in from advertisers. He may genuinely think he's doing the right thing... but he continually doesn't, in case it affects his bottom line. And I suspect the Elden Ring DLC was as much about stirring up "conversation" as it was a real thing. Because the thing Geoff hates most of all is not being talked about. Especially when there is no "Elden Ring" mega event... he's re-creating it (whether it was voted for his buddies or not).
And that's the last I will talk about him or his 'show'. I had dropped a comment that if they did this, I would boycott the show. I'll actually go one better... I will boycott even the reactions to the show. To quote Tarantino "f'**ing with your cash is the only thing you kid's seem to understand"... I would suggest others that want to voice their frustration avoid venting on comments, and vote with your (not going to) clicks. If he really cared about TGA... he wouldn't be seen near it... let alone insist on hosting it.
Edit - and yes... I DO appreciate that me boycotting the show won't make a lick of difference. It will to me however.
Re: Vast Majority of Gamers Say Elden Ring DLC Should Never Have Been Nominated for Game of the Year
@Nf157 it's not "The Content Awards"... it's also not "Content of the Year Award".
Re: Vast Majority of Gamers Say Elden Ring DLC Should Never Have Been Nominated for Game of the Year
@Medic_alert I think that people are missing the point... the games are selected by the "panel" ... not Geoff. The "panel" is made up of game journalists (and friends). It would appear that they voted pretty strongly for ER-DLC to be included... because they have little to no understanding of what gamers want represented, and it would seem don't care. Elden Ring is amazing, Shadow of the Erd Tree is more of the same amazing. Becuase it's more of the same game.
The "panel" (and the Game Awards) do NOT represent you (or me)... at best there's a 10% influence - which I suspect is much less. This is about a very small group of people telling everyone else, what a game really is. The outlets are shown on their website - but they don't say how many votes they each get... because this isn't a real awards show. This is the Geoff and Friends show.
Re: PS Portal Will Allow Cloud Streaming in New Beta Update
@Digit2021 It is crazy after so many years (and the fact that Sony actually set up local technical cells to solve our digital delivery capability) that we're still back in the 2000's in terms of internet infrastructure in Australia.
Weird... any way, I was always confused why streaming wasn't out of the box on day one.. and not even discussed. Clearly they thought it was a huge gamble. I don't think it's going to be a game-changer, and I don't think it's a new sony portable (it's a big telephone screen with built-in controller), but i can see it finding a home with some.
Re: Sony Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Elden Ring Dev's Parent Company Kadokawa Corp
Turns out Kadokawa actually has had a big hit due to a cyber-attack (ransomware+data leakage) this last year that has had a significant effect on business. Also, despite ER DLC, their gaming division has actually had much smaller sales than expected. Bottom line, despite everyone loving From Soft... the parent company may be looking a little weaker than expected. There's an interesting financial reporting here. The quote they use in their corporate reporting is "We are developing a structure to expand the scope of in-house publishing for console and PC games"... doesn't scream selling the business to me... but could be a bigger investment from Tencent (16% ownership) or Sony (14% ownership)... or Microsoft????
This has a feeling of being mis-reporting, or wishful thinking (or some mischevious rumouring).
Re: Sony Leads Pack of Publishers Nominated at The Game Awards
@awp69 I think this is a reflection that the Switch is about to quickly become the Swatched... and to be honest, I think they've done better than many would have suspected in the dying days of the console.
Re: Sony Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Elden Ring Maker Kadokawa Corp
@EfYI soorry... did I catch you right? Bungie was unproven... wow, that's some high standards.
Re: Sony Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Elden Ring Maker Kadokawa Corp
So... I think we should all draw breath... and chill... because these sorts of rumours often circulate for a few days, then disappear. Even if they are in discussions, that doesn't mean it's both parties are wanting to do this. It also doesn't mean that other parties are aren't also in discussions.
Edit - I'd also be a little surprised... just that they've addressed this previously by saying they had no interest in acquisition, and after ER, I would think they could do whatever they wanted (From Soft that is... but of course the parent company, Kadokawa, is a different story altogether).
I can see it making sense for Sony... on many different counts. All I can say however... if this didn't produce a Bloodborne 2, I think the world truly is a cruel simulation.
Re: Sony's Had a First-Party PS5, PS4 Game Nominated for Game of the Year Ten Times in a Row
Edit - and yes, it's good that Sony were able to get game nominated for 10 years... so well done.
Ok... not trying to be the downer... but I think most people would not consider HZD or Ratchet and Clank (and in my opinion GOWR or SM2) be considered as GoTY in their respective years. I love Sony games, but I think we also need to be realistic... some those games are not that innovative, well-written, that polished, or that original... compared to the actual winners. HZD might be all of those things... but it was also pretty repetitive if I'm being honest. They're all decent to good games (and genuinely technically masterful) - but I think it says more about Sony's ability to shape narrative than it does about their games. And this is coming from a Sony fan.
Re: All The Game Awards 2024 Nominees Revealed, Astro Bot Up for 7 Awards
@wildcat_kickz there's an argument (and a good one) that DLC is too hit-and-miss each year to have it's own category. And that's an argument against... however, I'd also say that this applies equally to sports and fighting games... but they still have categories.
I think unfortunately that people equate good gaming experience to good games. This is like saying why not have old games competing against new games... because if it's only about fun-gaming-experience then surely it shouldn't matter if it's made 6 months, 2 years ago or 10 years ago. So I think it makes no sense to include DLC. Yes it's new content... to an existing (2 year old) game.
Re: All The Game Awards 2024 Nominees Revealed, Astro Bot Up for 7 Awards
@get2sammyb it literally is a gated expansion - not only do you need to have bought Elden Ring - but you have to have progressed a long way into it before you can even access it. It's not a game... it's an expansion. And the fact that it was nominated clearly indicates that gaming outlets are so clearly disconnected with gamers... who want NEW games. And want to celebrate the best of those new games. ER is one of the best games ever made - but it also won GoTY.... I don't see how gaming sites don't realise this.
Re: All The Game Awards 2024 Nominees Revealed, Astro Bot Up for 7 Awards
Why not add a "None of the above" option....
Re: PS5 Pro Image Quality Issues Reported for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
@Medic_alert I think that's the point... people generally play console to avoid many of these issues. And yes, if you want a niche console, expect there to be teething issues (especially when there is likely not a lot of additional sales for the game devs/publishers).
Two systems isn't a huge extra complication, and I'm sure many of these issues will get resolved. It will be interesting to see how quickly these issues bed down, and to understand why some devs are finding PSSR more challenging...
Re: In USA, the PS5 Pro Launched with Similar Sales to the PS4 Pro
@Loamy I know it's meant to be a joke...
Re: In USA, the PS5 Pro Launched with Similar Sales to the PS4 Pro
@Northern_munkey we also didn't have the scalper culture for the PS4 Pro like we do today... I think everyone needs to take a chill pill before they start popping the self-congratulatory champagne, or the "I-told-you-soda-with-no-extra-sugar" comments. The market it definitely getting more complex... and I think part of the lack of transparency now from Sony, we may not know for years what actually happened. Edit: I - for one - have no idea what's actually happening in the market these days... and most of it doesn't really make a lot of commercial sense... most of it feels like ***** in the bed and thinking it's a hot-water-bottle (in terms of the long term sustainability of consoles). Edit^2: Thank you auto-filtering for saving me the effort of self-censoring my colourful analogy...
Re: In USA, the PS5 Pro Launched with Similar Sales to the PS4 Pro
@Loamy @DonJorginho ok ... you can do better than a .. 'well, you shouldn't complain about a USD700 (AUD1200) because it's not like anyone's putting a gun to your head, or putting you in lifetime indentured slavery / or the 'if you want to be a luddite and ignore the POWER of the Pro'... ' comment. I appreciate the 'sarcasm' but at the same time... this is also a sort of pre-emptive 'no one is forcing you to buy it' comment that suggests it's wrong to question the numbers, or the value.
Two things can be true at the same time. You can legitimately enjoy your PS5 Pro (and no one should take that away from you); but also, others may view it as not being worth it, or best thing for the industry (due to the fact that it's setting up a weird dynamic in the discussion). I think robust discussion is always good... and yes, no one should get too over-worked from comments online.
I'd just suggest sounding like you're doing a "PS5 Pro master-race vibe"... may not be helping a lot. I mean... I'm sure there must be sites that cater for the better class PS5 users... (and THAT is sarcasm... ).
Re: The Game Awards Confirms DLC, Remasters Can Win Game of the Year Days Prior to Nominations Reveal
A game is NOT a DLC... a DLC is a paid extension of a game. It CAN be amazing... but when it comes from an AMAZING game... that could also mean it was jus carved off, and adds little to the main game. There's been plenty of great DLC... it deserves it's own category. It is insulting to everyone to allow DLC to win GOTY. I will categorically promise to boycott Geoff Forever if they do this.
Re: PS5 Consoles, Controllers, and PSVR2 Discounts for Black Friday Seemingly Revealed
BLUF - I have decided to forego the Extra subscription, and drop down to Essential... because I literally don't think it's worth it as a gamer. The lack of any seemingly 'reduced price' at the end of the year has cemented that it's now just an illusion of value (for me).
So ... sigh... I often feel frustrated being 'that' person... but can we talk about PS+ prices. If you're on Essential for the last 1-2 years, there's been little extra value (despite the huge increases in costs/exclusion of sale prices). So what are we actually paying for? I know that the idea of getting a sale on PS+ 12 month subscriptions is apparently 'old fashioned''... but for the life of me I don't understand why. I had PS+ because of multiplayer/saves... begrudgingly... but this current situation seems a lot more 'FOMO' to me... because their offering "free games" with a subscription boost. Who can resist... free games?
I've been looking through my catalogue... trying to ascertain which ones were actually monthly games and which were Extra subscription-based. Looking through the games I played, there were very few that I played through on Extra. Whereas the ones I bought or were monthly (ie semi-permanent) I did play. I found that surprisingly the games I played most, were NOT the Extra subscription games...
So this (pre) Black Friday, I've decided to actually drop my Extra subscription. I've often had a go at GP, but did 2 years of Extra to see what it actually was like. Reviewing it... I am now 100% sure that for me (not you) it's not worth it, and I think it's adversely affected my gaming experience.
I also found that I played less games through to completion (based on my 'purchase' which means ticking a download button on a 500+ game catalogue that doesn't cost anything.
I reflected on this for the last few months, I do NOT get value out of this subscription (for me). I like being able to sample games 'at no extra cost', but I find myself less inclined to really jump in. I admit - this is a 'me' problem; but I suspect it's not unusual. It's hard to argue with the simplicity of things like "the best value in gaming"... and on paper things like GP and PS+ Extra/Deluxe/Premium seem great value.
My point (circling around)... for most people (especially at my age) I don't have infinite time... and the mirage of doing a taste-test, when deleting a game is easier than doing it justice (because there's so many possible games to try)... it just doesn't make sense to me. I used to play games that I bought or 'earned?' monthly off PS+. Now I have very little interest in spending more than the bare minimum time before the "tried and died" attention-span (maybe 1-2 hours at MOST / and also because I run 2 TB PS5 / 2 TB other... I just run out of space before I HAVE to delete games).
Re: Review: PS5 Pro - An Impressive Yet Inconsistent Upgrade
@Loamy so I'm curious... what metric do you use for the step up between PS4->PS4 Pro. I'm still standing on the sidelines, not sure how you can compare 1080p > 4K (albeit checkerboard); HDR; an over 2.2x increase in GPU grunt (vs a 1.6x)... a 1.3x CPU increase (over a 1.1 increase)? For exactly the same cost as the og PS4 - vs a 1.33x increase in cost to consumer. I understand that PSSR takes some load off the GPU (but it also adds a processing cost of its own). Edit... I also very much appreciate that rendering doesn't just depend on raw horse-power... but I also think people view differences with a huge amount of bias. It's very hard to be objective - especially when it's your money.
The problem I have - sitting on the fence - is that whilst I think the PS5 Pro is clearly better than the PS5; I don't get any sense that there's actually an objectively same "game change"... whereas there was going to 4K.
Edit - and yes, if you have the disposable income, the interest, and you don't really care what message you're sending to Sony, then that's ok. I am sure that all Pro players will feel they got their value out of it. I am sure I would if I put down about AUD 1400 on a console + drive + stand. For reference, the std PS5 was AUD800... and is now often on sale much lower.
Re: Veteran Trophy Hunter Hakoom Quits PlayStation Over Alleged Account Suspension Storm
@xHHHx sorry,... I did read the story.... what there was of it. What did I miss? My point is, this isn't a story worth telling.
Re: Veteran Trophy Hunter Hakoom Quits PlayStation Over Alleged Account Suspension Storm
@nessisonett I heard he also did a cameo in Concord.
Re: Veteran Trophy Hunter Hakoom Quits PlayStation Over Alleged Account Suspension Storm
@xHHHx firstly... why do you feel it's so important about what this guy does? Secondly... do you think perhaps that Sony might know about auto-pop trophies... and lastly... who the <insert expletive> cares? As I understand it, he hasn't been suspended now... but he's lost his access to free codes. Why is he getting free codes? Maybe there's a very good reason... but as I don't know him from a loaf of bread, I actually give zero "cares" to this story.
Re: PS5 Pro Enhanced, PS Store Situation Devolves into Confusing Mess
@Northern_munkey I'm currently trying to catalogue games I have in library by owned/PS+ essential/others... it's a pain in the <insert orifice of choice here>. In this day and age, I can only imagine this is because their online UX is about the last thing they give a crap about... that's the only explanation as to how little they do to improve their experience. Edit - it's almost as if they don't want you to know what you've got. For instance...why when I look at PSN it tells me that I can buy a game, regardless if I have the physical copy logged on the system (der... I know the answer to that one.... but a good UX would be up-front... even if it still gives you the choice to buy digitally)
Case in point... after 4 years, why are we still not getting QoL changes that were standard on the PS4... because they're intentionally holding them back to make it seem like "oh... things are improving"...
It's Friday... it's been a long week, and perhaps I'm a little saltier than even I am normally.
Re: Hot on the Heels of LEGO Horizon Adventures PS5, Official LEGO Horizon Set Leaks
@Medic_alert I think this is an example of not having a strategy... there are a lot of things about this game that don't make sense. Including it's existence...
Re: Hot on the Heels of LEGO Horizon Adventures PS5, Official LEGO Horizon Set Leaks
@MeanBeanEgg yes... it's sold on Steam... but it's not a MP game (which needs numbers)... but... we can also be real. An all time concurrent player number (at release) of 602 for even a SP game is pretty woeful. I'm not surprised... family gamers don't normally choose PC to play... but I would wonder, why release it on PC at all?
Re: Hot on the Heels of LEGO Horizon Adventures PS5, Official LEGO Horizon Set Leaks
So - am I the only one that doesn't understand why they wouldn't release the physical sets at the same time as the game?
Re: PS5 Pro Enhanced, PS Store Situation Devolves into Confusing Mess
@Northern_munkey by straight away, I hope you mean about 12-24 months ago (well... actually, from the start of the generation if I'm being honest). Edit - and yes, Cyberpunk is the one that really annoyed the hell out of me. Every single time....
Re: PS5 Pro Enhanced, PS Store Situation Devolves into Confusing Mess
@LikelySatan or a 4th... or 5th... Professional-grade gives you ALL the options. It seriously was delusional to think that giving developers the choice, would lead to the "there's no need for choice any more" option.
Re: PS5 Pro Enhanced, PS Store Situation Devolves into Confusing Mess
Can we just acknowledge that the PlayStation store front has possibly the most amateur filtering/sorting options available in any modern storefront (edit - I meant to write commercial software... because there really are some god-awful storefronts out there....how do you spell Ninten-don't?). As it is with the search/sorting/filtering on the console - why is it I can't filter out games that I have as part of PS+ monthly games - which are mine while I have membership - and those that are part of the PS+ Extra?. Also why (if I download a digital version from PS+), do I not see that I actually own the physical version as well?
And why... if I have the physical PS4 version of a game... that has an upgrade to PS5... it seems somehow to want to keep downloading the PS4 version?
Sigh... this is where we're at... and that's before you even throw in the PS5 Pro. Sony just suck at user interfaces IMO.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@mrmartinrohr (edit)Were there any frame-rate issues with the game? You were asking for 120Hz/VRR support... To me, this is akin to asking for devs to make an 8k version? All these things are possible... but not all possible things are meaningful or worthwhile. If there's frame-rate hitches... surely they should be overcome by the raw-horsepower? I'm confused.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@HonestHick 100% correct. There is absolutely no reason why it's not on the PS4... other than Sony said no.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@Flaming_Kaiser huh... maybe you mis-edited somewhere... it's Friday afternoon here (so it could be me), but I don't understand what you wrote.
The Lego game isn't a first party game... it's third party studio licencing Sony IP (edit - ok... you can argue it's second party because technically it's published by Sony). But my point stands... not every game needs a PS5 Pro version.
Re: DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft
@riceNpea hmmm... I think I disagree. PS (like any gaming outlet these days) is driven by commercial interests... if you cannot make money, site closes. The making money part is driven to a large extent by ad revenue... which is driven by consumers (the people reading the site). So at the end of the day, websites like PushSquare are likely most responsive to clicks.
As for professionalism... I actually don't know... are any of the PushSquare team professional journalists? Maybe... I actually don't know. If not, I think it's fair that we don't treat them by that standard. Hence my original complaint... someone needs to actually engage in serious journalism. That's not Jason Schrier, who is now part of the commeteriat ...
Re: DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft
@riceNpea so... the answer is? I think there's too much...<shrugs> ... what can we do. I think we can expect better, both of our own discourse, but also the people creating content. There's so much divisiness out there now - and to be honest, a lot of that is from just poor journalism, mis-information, ill-informed opinion, or blatant agena pushing (on any side of the arguments... as lame as they all are).
So regarding the horrible state of lay-offs (and the overall state of the industry), all I hear is that it's a result of greedy companies over-staffing up during the pandemic... and now having to shed numbers as sales normalised. This doesn't necessarily equate to the other reality... the sky-rocketting costs. Those costs come from some where, and I don't think it's necessarily all visible on screen.
Still - I suspect this is airing dirty laundry, and won't do anyone's 'corporate' image any good to write about.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@Northern_munkey - maybe not, but there's a crap-tonne of people that now expect 'PS5 Pro goodness' in every game. (regardless of the game).. and to be fair, that's what was sold to them. I just think it's one of those things that tends to warp conversations/expectations.
Re: DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft
@Rich33 by the cost of games - I mean the cost of development. The reality is that the big tentpole games aren't that enticing for Sony (especially) because they can't sell enough to make a healthy enough profit over their first party portfolio. Not compared to just raking in the 30% on-the-top markup for MTX they get.
I know a lot of people have said this - but games are just too expensive to make these days, which is why they're getting bloated, and at the same time dumbed down for maximum sales.
Edit - and yes - the flip-side of that coin is that people don't think they should pay for games... because of GP and PS+ Extra/Premium we now have been tought that games are metered out for no extra cost.... I mean, how can that possibly devalue games (he says, sarcastically).
Re: DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft
So... I'm going to say something that may rile people up... however... hear me out. I know that many people feel that the gaming industry is just being abused through constant closures. However... and I really implore someone do so some actual journalism somewhere... what is actually going on in the gaming industry?
So my impression (and it's likely completely wrong) is that during the pandemic, a lot of people were able to negotiate really good conditions (pay and remote working).... because a lot of companies thought this was the gravy train.
Turns out...pandemics come ang go... so what I'm really curious to know (even if it dispells my bias) - what is actually driving up the cost of game development now? Because... I'm not sure it's not staff costs/productivity. I know in Australia (maybe not the best example) in my line of work... I've seen an almost stagnant remuneration over perhaps 10 years. And it may be the case that in the games industry there's a correction, but it's also possible that there was an over-correction. I think we all need to have an adult conversation about it, rather than just gnashing our teeth (even though I just had a go at Micro$oft). And that adult conversation should be based on facts... not just headlines, and the feeling that we can support the under-dog developers (meanwhile, the cost of games is going through the literal stratosphere).
Re: DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout Devs Strike in Protest of Parent Company, Microsoft
@LavenderShroud what don't you understand that Microsoft is the biggest third-party publisher of PlayStation games (or that close to it).
As for Microsoft.... yep... they respect their right to an opinion, as they respect their own right to do a giant windows-shaped <insert own imagination here> on that opinion. What didn't they understand about working for one of the most powerful corporations in America?
Re: Reminder: PS Plus Extra, Premium to Lose 18 Games in a Week
@Kienda just a PSA... RDR2 is a BIG game. It's also a slow starter. You can easily go 8-10 hours without getting into the swing of the game. Also - and I might be an outlier - it's a game that has a slighly over-rated main story; but it has a truly AAAA open world to frame it. One of my favourite games, even if it's on rails (for the main story).
Re: Reminder: PS Plus Extra, Premium to Lose 18 Games in a Week
@playstation1995 ... said Mr Sony PlayStation. I'm sure Totoki-san will send you a Christmas card. .... after you've subscribed to Extra, and then purchased all those games that are departing.
To be honest however... it's a subscription service... it's not a library. People just need to understand, you're not buying the games, you're renting them at the platform holder's discretion. So... my Extra subscription is coming up for renewal at the start of Jan, and at the moment, I have ZERO intention to renew. My backlog is big enough, and my guilt strong enough... I think I actually want to return to the days when you actually bought games. I did... and still do... have a crap tonne sitting in there because there's only so much time.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@nessisonett Varl had 8000 pubes?... man... he knew how to groom... I kninda always suspected, given his pristine beard... (and yes, that's a - questionable - joke)
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@Northern_munkey so there's a fallacy that putting a sticker on something makes it meaningfully better. For example boosting a point and click game from 30 or 60 up to 120 FPS would qualify for a PS5Pro Enhanced sticker. The question is - does it matter? I think we're still too early on in this mid-gen refresh to have mature conversations, because a lot of people invested a lot of money, and they expect return (because Sony implied it was coming).
It's like saying Balatro should have a PS5 Pro enhanced version because Sony mandated... I'm sure they could make it, but it's not what's going to make it a more fun experience. I suspect a PS5 Pro patch/enhancement to this game won't change it's fundamental 'satisfaction'.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures Sets Odd Precedent, Lacking PS5 Pro Support
@Flaming_Kaiser you know... not every game needs, or should require, PS5 Pro updates. Because, firstly the game is designed to run on a much lower system; secondly, it's not meant to be a power-house demo of power... it's just not. And finally... what would make you feel that this is finally the game it was always meant to be?
My point - we have to stop "consoling ourselves" that a meaningful PS5 Pro Patch is coming... maybe it is... but isn't it better to just say, it's a game that has a limited scope, and likely plays just as well on base PS5. I haven't heard too much (if anything) on the PS5 technical limitations. If there are some, I'm sure someone will comment.
Let's just let games be games.
Re: No Xbox Games Are Off the Table for Release on PlayStation, Says Phil Spencer
So at some point, even Phil must get tired of listening to the constant double-speak coming out his mouth... it's fine... but can we all agree that XBox is no longer XBox, but just Game Pass?
Having lived through a lot of gaming hype... the constant edging towards a non-XBox reality is getting painful. Then again, we can hope for a happier future. I just don't think it's going to make Sony more consumer friendly for us.
I wouldn't mind to play Forza Horizon, and almost certainly Fable... strange coincidence? And I think Flight Simulator would be fun (on PS+.... it's a chill experience - at least it was on PC - but I don't know I'd get more than casual play out of it). Of course og Halo.
Re: LEGO Horizon Adventures (PS5) - Dull Design Lets Down This Gorgeous Spin-Off
To be fair "Each one is a fairly breezy jaunt through a picturesque environment, interspersed with combat arenas and the occasional boss battle" pretty well sums up the Horizon games. I'm a big fan of the first - and while I can see the on-paper attraction... I actually think this is one of the LEGO games aimed more at adults than kids (as I don't think HZD is that attractive to teens... certainly not in my experience).
Re: Play Has No Limits in Sony's Latest Live-Action PS5 Ad
@themightyant my youngest is definitely moving on from the Switch/Laptop/tablet gaming... but I think the interest in PS is likely just game-by-game. My eldest used to play Fortnite heavily - but after he got himself a job, and bought his own rig (a decent 4070) he has moved more to co-op shooters. Last game he played on console was Elden Ring a few months ago (some of our best father-son moments), but he just doesn't have the time to spare for long SP games anymore. So he jumps on his own PC when he can (as a high school student).
Edit - as an aside...I find that he's becoming quite nostalgic towards Fortnite - of all things.
I kinda think that's the reality that Sony is facing... time-poor, or option-rich players... who don't need a console. The life-style association with gaming is "limited time"... and social. My youngest is an odd-one-out, as I suspect console gaming is still a "transitional" gaming environment between switch and whatever is next.
Re: Play Has No Limits in Sony's Latest Live-Action PS5 Ad
@themightyant this is lifestyle marketing.... it's not about the product, it's entirely about brand association as you said (Sony = carefree fun). Perhaps it's my experience with my kids, but I think that console makers have a hard time these days, because I think that we're at that stage where younger audiences want "bring anywhere, play anytime" or "bring me ALL the RTX... in ultrawide".
Perhaps a better question is - what games are actually that appealing to the 18-25 demographic? I dunno these days. I have to admit... I was surprised my 12yo has flipped dramatically from BTOW-TOTK to RDR2... not one I saw coming.